Economic Implications of the Methyl Bromide Phaseout

The pesticide methyl bromide is being phased out internationally under the Montreal Protocol. Methyl bromide has been used for over 50 years to control insect, nematodes, pathogens, and weeds. It is used for soil fumigation before planting many fruits, vegetables, ornamentals, and agricultural nurseries; for post-harvest fumigation of commodities in storage and prior to shipment; and for government-required quarantine treatment to prevent the spread of regulated exotic pests. Many U.S. users are concerned that existing alternatives to methyl bromide will be less effective and cause financial losses. To help mitigate the impacts of the phaseout, USDA, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), universities, and private firms are working to develop new alternatives and make them available to methyl bromide users.Crop Production/Industries,

Prioritizing Invasive Species Threats Under Uncertainty

Prioritizing exotic or invasive pest threats in terms of agricultural, environmental, or human health damages is an important resource allocation issue for programs charged with preventing or responding to the entry of such organisms. Under extreme uncertainty, program managers may decide to research the severity of threats, develop prevention or control actions, and estimate cost-effectiveness in order to provide better information and more options when making decisions to choose strategies for specific pests. We examine decision rules based on the minimax and relative cost criteria in order to express a cautious approach for decisions regarding severe, irreversible consequences, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of these rules, examine the roles of simple rules and sophisticated analyses in decision making, and apply a simple rule to develop a list of priority plant pests.invasive species, decision criteria, uncertainty, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

The Dogmatism of Dissent: How Open-Minded Cognition Influences Protest Attitudes

While protestors are often thought of and portrayed as dogmatic actors on the political stage, research has yet to empirically investigate the cognitive processes of protestors. While previous research has investigated how open-minded cognition relates to political party and ideology, its relationship to political activism has remained under studied. This study used a between subject\u27s design to determine how priming system rejection may affect open-minded cognition and protest attitudes. The sample of 450 participants recruited through Amazon\u27s Mechanical Turk is based off a power analysis with small to medium effect sizes (r2=0.25) and a power of .95. Using SurveyGizmo software, participants were randomly assigned to either a system rejection or a control condition. Following this, participants completed measures of their political open-mindedness, willingness to participate in two forms of protest, anger towards the government, and demographics. The results explore the varying ways open-minded cognition affects models of political activism and provides early evidence for how open-mindedness may directly affect political activism

Fabricated Quotations--Facts Or Falsehoods - Masson v. New Yorker Magazine, Inc.

In Masson v. New Yorker Magazine, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a summary judgment in favor of certain defendants in a defamation and invasion of privacy action. In doing so, the court resolved the case on an actual malice basis and concluded that lies are constitutionally protected in some instances. This Note analyzes the court\u27s reasoning with respect to the proper standard to be applied in defamation actions. The analysis reveals that the court\u27s resolution was flawed in that it should have decided the defamation issue first. A finding that the quotations in question were not defamatory would have made it unnecessary to reach the constitutional issue of actual malice. In conclusion, the court\u27s decision shields conscious lies which cause injury a result not intended by the Supreme Court when it fashioned the actual malice test

RISK, GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS, AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Nearly all farm business ventures involve financial risk. In some instances, private and public tools used to manage financial risks in agriculture may influence farmers' production decisions. These decisions, in turn, can influence environmental quality. This bulletin summarizes research and provides some perspective on private and public attempts to cope with financial risks and their unintended environmental consequences. Specifically, it examines the conceptual underpinnings of risk-related research, challenges involved with measuring the consequences of risk for agricultural production decisions, government programs that influence the risk and return of farm businesses, and how production decisions influence both the environment and the risk and average returns to farming.risk, agricultural production, government programs, environment, Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy, Risk and Uncertainty,

ECONOMIC THRESHOLDS UNDER UNCERTAINTY WITH APPLICATION TO CORN NEMATODE MANAGEMENT

An economic threshold of agricultural pest management is derived. Results provide a method for researchers to use in making improved pest control recommendations to farmers without farm level decision-making. An empirical illustration for lesion nematode management in irrigated corn is given and directions for further research are indicated.Crop Production/Industries, Risk and Uncertainty,

Study of the stability of the S-IC open-loop propellant-hydraulic system Final report, Jul. 26, 1964 - Jul. 26, 1966

Saturn S-IC open-loop propellant-hydraulic system stud